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女子 (じょし, joshi) Japanese meaning: woman | Kotomora

女じょ子し

じょ

し

Common word›JLPTN3›Freq.FrequencyTop 500

Meanings

1

Refers to a female person, often used in contrast to 男子 (boy/man). Common in compound words like 女子学生 (female student) and 女子トイレ (women's restroom).

このクラスは女じょ子しが男だん子しより多おおい。

In this class, there are more girls than boys.

女じょ子し更こう衣い室しつはあちらです。

The women's changing room is over there.

Kanji

女woman, female
子child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM

Related words

女じょ性せいN4
女性 is the more formal, adult term for 'woman', while 女子 can refer to girls as well as women and is common in institutional or sporting contexts.
ギャル
女子 is a neutral, everyday word for a girl or young woman, while ギャル specifically evokes flashy gyaru fashion or is used as slang for 'gal'.
ガールズ
女子 is the native Japanese word for girls or young women and is more formal/broad, while ガールズ is a trendy loanword used mainly in fashion, music, and pop-culture contexts.
婦ふ女じょ子し
女子 is a casual, everyday word for 'girl/woman', whereas 婦女子 is formal and typically used in official or protective contexts.

Opposites

男だん子しN3
男子 is the male counterpart of 女子, used in parallel compounds like 男子学生 vs 女子学生.

Don't confuse with

女じょ史しN1
女子 and 女史 are pronounced the same, but 女史 is a formal honorific title placed after a woman's name (like 'Ms.'), while 女子 simply means 'girl/woman'.
女おな子ごN1
The same kanji 女子 read じょし is the standard modern word for 'woman/girl' (e.g. in school or sports contexts), while read おなご it is a dated, dialectal term with an old-fashioned feel.

Counted with

人にん
The everyday counter for people: 一人 (ひとり), 二人 (ふたり), 三人 (さんにん).
名めいN2
More formal than 人 — used for headcounts in reservations, staff lists, and announcements (5名様).

Word family· 34

女じょ子し高こう
girls' high school
女じょ子し大だい
women's college; women's university
婦ふ女じょ子し
women and children · woman; grown woman; wife
夢ゆめ女じょ子し
female fan who fantasizes about fictional characters

Etymology

Compound of 女 (woman) and 子 (child), originally meaning 'female child', but now broadly used for females of any age in certain contexts.

女じょ子し会かい

girls' night out; girls-only gathering

Show 8 more

女じょ子し力りょく
feminine charm; girl power; womanliness
女じょ子し寮りょう
women's dormitory
女じょ子し校こう
girls' school
女じょ子し用よう
for women; women's use
女じょ子し部ぶ
women's division; girls' section
姫ひめ女じょ子し
female fan of yuri
腐ふ女じょ子し
fujoshi; woman who enjoys male-male romance fiction
女じょ子しアナ
young female TV announcer; female TV personality

See all 34 in Explore →